


The Man with Curly Hair.

by no5simp



Category: Haikyuu!!
Genre: Alternate Universe - Prison, Crimes & Criminals, False Accusations, Law Enforcement, M/M, Prison
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-08-17
Updated: 2020-09-11
Packaged: 2021-03-06 06:27:18
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 5
Words: 7,955
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25948822
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/no5simp/pseuds/no5simp
Summary: Bokuto goes to his night shift as a prison guard, where a boy with curly hair catches his eye.
Relationships: Akaashi Keiji/Bokuto Koutarou
Comments: 5
Kudos: 31





	1. Night-Shift

A large man with two-toned hair strolled the dark, empty halls. 

He wore a tan long-sleeve button up that seemed just a little too tight, along with grey slacks, leaning more on the casual side. They were held up with a small black belt, the gold buckle reflecting light as he walked.

One white glove rested on the curly chord of his speaker microphone, while the other swayed by his side. 

Occasionally someone would say hello, and he’d offer a kind smile in return, which seemed to relieve the other. The prisoners all seemed to like him, or at least respect him, which was a lot coming from the group he was placed with.

He hated his job, but he would never let any of the prisoners know. That would be showing weakness, which he prohibited from his professional life. Bokuto had originally trained with the intentions of going into suicide prevention, but he was seen as too tough for the job, whatever that meant.

He seemed to think about it every time he was on night shift. He had nothing else to do besides walk through the halls, and occasionally pop into the break room. He felt bad everytime he bitched about his job, he knew he was lucky to even have one, let alone have one with this good of a salary, but who wouldn’t complain when their life goals got flipped on their head, and their plan-b did, too.

His body remained the same as it was 6 years ago in high school, built and muscular, more top-heavy. You could tell he played some sort of sport, and that sport was supposed to be his career.

Volleyball. Volleyball was Bokuto’s passion from the beginning, and he expected it to remain that way till the day he died.

He had his life mapped out. He worked to be in the top 5 aces in Japan, and even got to nationals two times. He had to win his third year to even have the possibility of getting accepted onto the Tokyo team, let alone the national team. He had always dreamt of playing for the Olympics, being on every screen across the country, being recognized as the best ace in the world.

But he was naïve. He was a stupid, naïve, teenager. So those dreams went down the drain.

He worked with what he had, which was strength and perseverance, to become a prison guard. He expected to like it more than he did, hoping he would be able to form strong bonds with the inmates.

He did for the first few years, but they had all come and gone, leaving Bokuto with no one. He didn’t know many of the other guards, and he had never had a problem with making friends, but these guys were something else. Kou loved competition, but it was on another level here, or they didn’t seem to care at all.

He lost track of how many times he had overheard the other guards talking down at the inmates, as if they were less than, or how many times the inmates crumbled under the pressure and got punished for it.

It irritated Kou beyond belief, these people had messed up, and many of them were trying to get their lives back together. They were no less than, and Bokuto believed that anyone who couldn’t see that was stupid.

He had a passion for helping inmates, he really did, but this wasn’t the right job for it.

Prisons in Japan weren’t completely bad, though. He liked that there was some attention put onto rehabilitating the convicts, and actually helping them, but he knew in order for them to get better and return to society, things needed to change.

Bokuto wasn’t an idiot. He could understand why prisons weren’t meant to be a comfortable place, and why they needed an immense amount of structure, but one thing he could not understand, was why prisoners were seen as objects with no individuality. 

He listened to them be referred to as numbers every day, he watched them all wear the same hairstyle and the same ugly scrub looking uniform every single day. The consistent silence among the convicts rotted his brain, and having to watch them live every second in fear broke his heart.

On his stroll, he slowed at the cell that stored prisoner number 387. Bokuto knew nothing about him, but had been observing him for quite some time.

It was a tall, scrawny man with buzzed off black hair. The few times it had gotten longer than a couple centimeters it formed curls. He glanced in and saw the man sleeping. He didn’t look peaceful, it was more disturbing. Bokuto sighed and continued patrolling. 

Before he knew it, it was morning. He waited by the vocational program’s doors, waiting to escort the convicts to breakfast like he did every morning.

This was where the man with curly hair originally caught his eye. He was there nearly every morning, meaning he must’ve been convicted in high school, or right before college.

This specific morning, only the man with curly hair emerged behind the doors. Bokuto found it odd that he was the only one, but most of the people in his section were older, he patrolled for the people with heavier charges.

“Hey, hey, hey! Good morning.” Kou smiled, closing the door behind the man, quickly catching up to him. The man didn’t reply, and just walked beside him.

The two walked silently to the canteen, Kou dropping him off. He chatted with an officer for a moment before turning to go to the break room and collect his items, his shift was nearly over.

He heard a grunt, and a wave of cheers from the convicts. Bokuto turned on his heels, and saw the curly haired man holding his face, and a much larger man grabbing the tray from his hands, walking off. The guard beside him ran to the bigger man, tackling him down, while Kou headed to the smaller of the two.

He gently took his arm, and tugged him out of the canteen.

The man struggled to keep up, pinching his nose tightly.

“Are you okay?” Kou asked once they were nearing the nurse’s office.

The man replied with a grunt.

Kou opened the door to the nurses, and walked in after him, quickly explaining what had happened. Akaashi sat down and shut his eyes.

The nurse was a kind, older woman. She always seemed to be nice and genuine, managing to turn any bad incident into something to learn from. 

She typed his number into her small computer. “Keiji, Akaashi?” The man nodded without a word, eyes still shut. “You can open those, you’ve done your time with those silly little mannerisms.”

Bokuto smiled a little at his name, and the nurse nodded for him to leave. 

“Mind if I stop by in a minute? My shift is over and I made extra sweets for my mother, so I figured you might want them.”

The woman's eyes lit up. “I would love that, Kou. You always know exactly how to brighten my day.”

He smiled softly at the nurse, and then at the man, quickly shuffling out of the office and into the break room.

“That boy has always been my favorite, ever since he started here.” The nurse explained to Akaashi while addressing his nosebleed.

She removed his hand, and saw that the entire right side of his face was swollen. His nose appeared mainly intact, but definitely broken.

Akaashi nodded, not seeming to be concerned. Bokuto opened the door and set down a small cloth bag on the nurses desk.

“Thank you, Kou. Would you mind being my assistant for a moment?”

Kou glanced up and set down his bag. “Of course not.”

“Will you fetch an ice pack from my freezer? Along with two pain killers?”

Bokuto hummed a yes, and quickly handed her the items.

She handed Akaashi the items, and poured him a glass of water.

He quickly took the pain killers and flinched when he pressed the ice to his face.

“It looks like your nose is broken, but not badly enough for any major complications. You may not even end with a crooked bridge.” She explained, reaching to grab the bag of candies from her desk.

Bokuto frowned at the news, staring at the man’s face.

She fished out an orange candy, sliding it into his hand. “These are my favorite, Bokuto-Sama makes them the best, try one.”

Bokuto watched patiently and eagerly, excited to see his reaction. Akaashi slid it onto his tongue, his eyes squinting at the flavor. It was strong, almost too strong, but delicious and mouth watering.

“Aren’t they good?” The nurse asked, grabbing one for herself.

“Yes, very.” He replied, glancing at Bokuto. Kou beamed, bowing slightly. 

“I’m going to go now,” he announced, picking up his bag again. 

“I’m sorry to bother you, but could you bring him back to the canteen? Kaido-Sama is prohibited from leaving this area right now, so there isn’t a guard here that can.”

Kou nodded. “Yes, of course.” He stopped in the doorway, Akaashi quickly standing and shuffling over. He thanked the nurse, bowing his head before following Kou.

“You sure you’re alright?”

The man nodded.

Kou walked him back, giving a small smile as he returned to the line. The other prisoner was gone, probably back in his cell.

Kou quickly headed out the door, and did his best not to fall asleep on the train ride home. Nothing sounded better than jumping into his soft, warm bed.


	2. Ordinary Life

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A walk through of day to day life in prison.

Akaashi woke up the next day, his face slightly less swollen, but much more bruised. He rubbed his eyes, wincing at the pain. He gently ran a finger along the side of his nose, thinking about the previous day.

He had never had such a positive experience there. The nurse was gentle and kind, not forcing him to close his eyes or keep him from leaning against the wall. He was a little thrown off by it, wondering how she still had her job.

Akaashi clipped on his green badge, stating his good behavior to the other prisoners. He clicked on his tiny TV, listening to it as he combed through his hair as he got ready. He wished he could show it off, he was proud of it. Most prisoners didn’t get them, only the good ones. 

He did his best to stay on good behavior, so he would be let out early and be given benefits.

His cell was small, but nice. He liked it, considering he was in a prison. It had a bed-sized area on the floor, where he stored his rolled up futon and blanket. There was a thin screen dividing the main room from the bathroom, which only had a toilet and sink. There was a tiny nightstand in the corner that stored his television and personal items, hung above it were shelves that were packed with books.

Fuchu was by no means a bad place to be. Akaashi hadn’t even seen any violence until the previous day, and he believed that the inmates were treated with respect. It may have been run like a boot-camp, but he knew he was lucky to be there.

Akaashi walked to the bathroom and placed his hand on the window, smiling at the warmth of it. He heard an officer at the door, and quickly slid on his shoes, running over. He was led to his vocational classes.

Akaashi sat down and got to work, studying English, graphic arts and auto repair. He was grateful to have the opportunity to learn, after being convicted at such a young age. His teacher ran class strictly. Hats were on at all times, no eye contact, no talking, no leaning against the table or walls, and you had to write notes in the proper way, and store books properly, as well.

The rules were hard for Akaashi at first, but after many punishments he learned, and now they came naturally. 

He studied from 8:00 till 10:00, where he took a 15 minute break before going to work until 12:00.

After break, he walked into his auto-repair shop, immediately getting to work. His arms became covered in grease, as they usually did. He got through a few cars before noon, when it was time for him to take lunch.

He followed the other prisoners down to the canteen, where he received a good lunch, white rice and chicken, along with a glass of milk and an apple.

Akaashi sat on his own, silently eating, until he felt a pair of eyes glued to him. He looked around and spotted him. Bokuto.

Bokuto gave a small smile, which conflicted his otherwise brutal and intimidating look. Akaashi looked at him, then continued eating silently. This guy was getting on his nerves.

It was strictly prohibited for prisoners to make eye-contact with guards, let alone be friends with them, so why was he being so nice? He could lose his job over it, all Akaashi had to do was tell someone. But for some reason, he wouldn’t.

After lunch Akaashi returned to the auto-shop, slaving away at the cars again. He enjoyed working, it took his mind off of everything, and he chose to go into auto-repair because that’s what his dad did before he died. 

Akaashi loved learning, even if it was about something as boring as cars. He read the textbook back to front in the matter of days. He passed the tests with ease, and was quickly permitted onto the work floor. He was proud. He was by far the youngest worker there, and only a couple men there were quicker than he was.

This was something he had accomplished all on his own, something he could be proud of and something he wanted to show off. It may sound stupid to others, but Akaashi knew the odds of someone as young as he was, learning the last year of high school and finishing a college degree early in prison were small, if not impossible. 

The guards switched, and Bokuto walked onto the floor, keeping a tight eye on the convicts. Everyone seemed to loosen up. He was much kinder than the guard before him, he still enforced the rules, but with small reminders opposed to big shouts. 

Akaashi didn’t seem to notice the shift, he was still extremely focused on what he was doing. Bokuto silently watched him, taking mental notes that they might want to move this kid up to public work, where the best convicts, academically and socially, were allowed to work on the general public’s cars. They weren’t allowed to talk to citizens, but they were allowed to exchange a few words with fellow prisoners every now and then, and they had a lot more variety in the cars brought in. The next level up was also more of a job than a school, made for people who already knew exactly what they were doing.

At 4:40 Akaashi heard Bokuto’s voice announce that everyone should be heading to their rooms, and that there were guards waiting by the doors to escort them. Everyone quickly shuffled out in an organized manner, Bokuto and Akaashi making eye contact.

20 minutes later, a guard came into Akaashi’s room and inspected, just like they did every day. He looked through the books and notebooks, along the desk, under the futon and blankets, and even checked the bathroom. Akaashi silently waited, looking down at the floor. He stood straight up, his hands clasped behind his back.

The officer cleared him and left, a weight being lifted from Keiji’s shoulders. He was always nervous for checks, even if he was positive everything was perfect.

Akaashi marched down to dinner with the other inmates, and waited patiently for his food. Tonight’s dinner was pork and bacon, vegetable salad, a bread roll and an apple, it was Keiji’s favorite meal of the week. He collected his food and sat down silently, slowly and carefully eating, making sure not to break any rules.

He glanced and saw Bokuto in line, it was unusual to see a guard member waiting for food. Bokuto seemed to have been insisting to wait his turn. Once he got his food he disappeared into what Akaashi could only imagine to be the break room.

At 6:00 he had free time, although it wasn’t very free. He wasn’t allowed to lean against the walls, roll out a futon, remove his shoes or make any noise. He silently sat down after grabbing a textbook for one of his classes, quickly reading it.

He was already almost done when he started, so he wasn’t shocked when he finished early. He turned on his TV and watched it carefully, missing the ordinary life represented on the tiny screen.

Before he knew it it was time for bed. He shut off the TV and rolled out the futon after hearing the announcement. He expected someone to walk in for his nightly check, but he didn’t expect it to be Bokuto.

He slipped in through the door, and began poking around, not talking like he usually would. Akaashi assumed it must’ve been because other guards were around. 

Bokuto began patting Akaashi down, both of them acting like it was the most casual thing in the world. They had to do this twice daily, so the awkwardness had lost its impact.

Bokuto offered a small smile and pointed at the desk before shutting the door. Akaashi looked over, realizing a book was out of place. He quickly corrected it, a bit shocked that Bokuto didn’t yell at him. 

He sat down on the futon and fixed the blankets to his liking. He loved having a private cell, before he had one he had to sleep on his back, and everything always had to be perfect, but now it didn’t matter as much. He still slept on his back, but it was nice knowing he wouldn’t get ratted out if he decided not to one night.

Akaashi laid back and looked at the ceiling, his mind beginning to wander. He wasn’t sure if he wanted to be released. Life sucked at prison, but it would suck in the real world too. He had no one. His mom, maybe, but he couldn’t lie to her everyday, and have to deal with her believing it. He had no friends, and the rest of his family disowned him.

Keiji's thoughts eventually faded into nothingness, his vision fading to black.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I researched a lot for this one, so I really hope it's accurate! I pulled the schedule and meals from Fuchu Prison, which was my main model for the whole thing. I'm not a Japanese citizen, nor have I ever been to prison, so please understand if it's not totally factual! Once again, leave kudos if you enjoyed! Thank you for reading!


	3. Didn't do it.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Bokuto confronts Akaashi about his charge, and decides to take legal action.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the wait! Life has been crazy lately with school starting, and I've been in and out of the doctors, I hope you all understand! I'm hopinh to get the next chapter out sooner and hopefully it's a little longer and better written.

Bokuto rolled out of bed at 7 am, quickly showering, spiking his hair and throwing on his uniform. He looked at himself in the mirror, tugging at the shirt. It was too tight. He moved around uncomfortably, hoping to stretch it a little, but heard a seam rip. He checked, but didn’t find anything so he ignored it.

He applied cologne, and walked to the kitchen, making a smoothie. He tossed bananas, ice, protein powder, milk and a couple other ingredients into a blender, and watched it carefully. Once it hit the right consistency he poured it into a glass, sat down at the counter and drank it silently.

He had talked to a couple officers about his idea, only his mutuals. He was going to ask Akaashi if he wanted to move up, and then they would bring it up to the boss.

He thought out his plan before sliding on his shoes, grabbing his bag and heading out the door.

Kou napped on the way there, the train was nearly empty so he didn’t feel bad taking a seat. Before he knew it he was back in the prison, sitting in the bland break room. He put on his microphone speaker and walked to the canteen to watch over breakfast.

The day went as usual until after dinner, when everyone had returned to their rooms. Bokuto headed to Akaashi’s, knocking before entering. He sat down across from Akaashi, having a notepad of his own.

“Some guards and I have noticed that you excel at your auto-repair job, and that’s why I’m here. We realized you may be able to be promoted to public work. Do you know what that is?”

Akaashi nodded.

“Would you like me to go over it in depth with you?”

Akaashi took a moment before nodding again.

Bokuto explained all of the basics, including pros and cons, Akaashi listening carefully.

“You may even be able to take a couple of years off of your sentence.”

Akaashi froze, his face twisting. “Really?”

Bokuto smiled a bit. “Yes. I know it’s a big charge so it won’t make too much of a difference, but we might be able to get more time taken off after that, too.”

Akaashi looked down, trying to think.

“The files state that you’re still in contact with your mother, is that correct?” another nod. “Would she be able to help you if you get out early? Providing a home and such until you’re back on your feet?”

Akaashi looked panicked. “You- you think I could be out that soon?”

Bokuto glanced up to the door, making sure it was locked. “Can I be honest with you, Akaashi?”

He gulped at his name. “Yes.”

“I think your charge was made under false allegations. I think you're innocent.”

Akaashi’s panic only increased as his fists gathered into balls. “It isn’t-”

“Hey, I’m not trying to push at you. You told me I could be honest, and I understand that it is a sensitive topic for you. I can understand why you wouldn’t want to talk about it, so I’m not going to push.”

Akaashi looked down, slowly unclenching his fists. “Thank you, Bokuto-san.”

“But I do think we could get you out in public somewhat soon. You’ve already served 7 years, correct?”

Akaashi nodded.

“And you were tried for 50?” Akaashi nodded again.

“So there’s 43 left.” he muttered out a couple incoherent sentences, quickly writing in his notepad. Akaashi tried to peek and read, but the man's hand writing was sloppy and unorganized.

“I believe we can get it to 30, maybe even less, depending if you decide to take legal action.”

“What will happen if I do?”

“If your charge got proven false, you could be out of here in no time. Maybe a year or two, considering all of the time court takes.”

Akaashi stared at him. “I can’t live with my mother.”

Bokuto didn’t ask, just nodded. “There are plenty of programs that help get ex-convicts back on their feet, I would be happy to help you look.”

“Can I ask you something?”

Bokuto looked at him, nodding.

“Why are you so insistent on helping me?”

Bokuto thought for a moment. “I think that you were falsely charged, and I also think even if you weren’t you've come a long way, and learned your lesson.”

“You really think a murderer can just learn their lesson?” Akaashi asked, freezing afterwards. Did he really just talk back to a guard?

“Yes, I do.” Bokuto replied calmly. “This prison is supposed to be the best at forcing the brain into change, meaning that if that’s true, you could have already learned it.”

Akaashi looked down, trying to think.

“I know this is a lot to handle, but please think about my offer, both for public-work and for getting you out of here. I would love to see you out on the streets again.”

Akaashi gulped. “Wait.”

Bokuto stared at him.

“How did you know- that I didn’t do it?”

Bokuto smiled a bit. “I see murderers every day, I can tell you aren’t one of them. You wouldn’t be able to kill a bug, let alone your own father.”

Akaashi’s eyes stung, and before he knew it tears started crashing down. Bokuto leaned over and took the tissues from his nightstand, sliding then to him.

“N- no one ever doubted that I did it.” Bokuto stayed silent. “You don’t know how frustrating it is being stuck here and not being able to do anything.”

“But you can, you can get out, Akaashi.”

“It’s not that simple. I can’t just rat the guy out- he- he said he’d hurt my mother if I did.”

The faint trace of a smile was completely wiped from Kou’s face. “Can I get you a lawyer?”

“You would do that?”

“Yes.”

“I- wow, can I, Can I get back to you tomorrow?” 

Bokuto frowned a bit. “I won’t be working tomorrow, I’m out of town for the next week, but,” he scribbled a trail of numbers on his notebook, tearing it off and hiding it in a book cover.

“Once you decide, use your call on that number, I promise I’ll answer. But you can’t tell a soul.”

Akaashi nodded, standing up with Kou. He gave him a big hug before thinking about what he was doing. “Thank you so much.”

Kou hesitantly hugged back, resting his chin on the shorter man’s head.

“I’ll talk to you soon.” He smiled, exiting the room. He gathered his items to go home for the day, happy with what he had accomplished.

He was now positive that Keiji Akaashi did not kill his father.

Kou took a quick nap before changing into sweats and a t-shirt and grabbing a large suitcase. He slipped on tennis shoes and put in his earbuds before locking up his apartment and leaving.

The cold air nipped at his ears as he waited at the train station, checking the time every few minutes. Once the train arrived Kou rushed on, standing with his luggage close to his body, crammed between his legs and the pole he was gripping.

After a long ride, he hopped off at the airport. He got through security fairly easily since it was so early, and just had to wait for his flight. He was on his way to Italy to visit his friend from high school, Yu Nishinoya.

Bokuto snapped a photo of the empty airport, and another of a fish with “Japan” printed on it, saying he was buying it for him. Nishinoya replied with nothing but a bunch of exclamation points, leaving Kou with a small smile as he paid.

He eventually got on his plane, and slept the entire time. Once he landed he texted Noya that he was heading to baggage claim, and complained he couldn’t tell where anything was. Lucky for him, he knew the basic layout of airports so it wasn’t too difficult.

Before Bokuto even got his bag, Nishinoya attempted to tackle him in a hug, Kou’s stance not budging. He chuckled, hugging the small boy back. “Hey hey hey!”

Noya settled back on the floor, and began excitedly blabbering about everything he had planned and how they were going to catch the biggest fish out of his crew.

Kou slipped into Noya’s car, it was tiny, his legs barely fit inside.

“Sorry for how cramped it is, I’m not as big as you,”

Kou smiled a bit “Tiny bastard.”

Noya smacked him, and propped his leg up on his seat. He hadn’t driven properly since his license test. Bokuto kicked his legs up on the dashboard in an attempt to fit, knowing Noya wouldn’t mind it. He fumbled around before rolling down the window and sticking his feet out.

Nishinoya watched him, making comments on how he was too big for his own good. He slipped one leg under the other as he drove, sandwiching his ankle between his thigh and the seat.

Once they got off of the highway, Noya smirked and started speeding up, Boktuo’s eyes looking frantic. Yu turned corners quickly and leaned back as he pressed the gas pedal, ignoring Kou’s calls for him to slow down. He cranked up the music, it was blasting some sort of italian rap Bokuto couldn’t understand, but he knew it was definitely talking about sex and drugs by the way it sounded.

Nishinoya glanced over, smacking his thigh. “You’re not even in Japan, you don’t have to go all prison-guard on me!”

Bokuto glanced over, a smile tugging at his lips. This was going to be a fun week.


	4. just work friends.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Akaashi calls Kou.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Please enjoy!

Akaashi sat in his cell, holding the piece of paper Bo had given him, trying to memorize the numbers so he wouldn’t look suspicious when he called. 

That week he was allowed two phone calls, and he had planned out who he was calling, and when. He didn’t want to bother Bokuto-san right away because he mentioned he was out of town, so he decided to call his mother on Tuesday, and Kou on Friday.

Akaashi made his way to the phones, quickly dialing in her number. After a few rings a mellow voice came through.

“Hello, Keiji.”

“Hi, mother. How are you?”

“I’m doing alright. How about you?”

“Good, I just got the news I might get promoted to public-work.”

“For auto-repair?”

“Yes, a guard is going to talk to the head about it next week.”

“That’s great, honey.”

Akaashi smiled a bit. “That means I might be released sooner,”

He heard his mother gulp through the phone. “Oh.”

Akaashi began to panic, tugging at the phone’s chord. “Are you not happy about that?”

“Are, are you sure that’s a good idea?”

“Yeah, We talked about options to help me get back on my feet after and-”

“I don’t mean it like that, Keiji.”

He looked down, his eyes beginning to sting.

“You- you killed someone. I’m not sure you should be in public.”

Akaashi wanted so badly to tell her that he didn’t. He didn’t kill her husband, and he never would, but he couldn’t.

“We’re taking more legal actions to see what we can do, I really think I’ve come a long way since dad, and the guards do, too.”

“Well I didn’t think you would kill your father so I doubt they know for sure.” She sighed. 

“Mom, it’s differ-”

“I’m done with this, Keiji.” 

Akaashi heard rings on the other side, and set the phone on the counter softly. He just sat and stared, not sure of what to make of the situation. They never stayed on for the full 10 minutes he was allowed, it always got tense and awkward, but it was never that bad.

He was escorted back to his cell, where he washed his face to push back the tears that were threatening to fall. They fell anyway.

The rest of the week was dull, Akaashi not seeming to be able to focus as intently on his job or classes, and he got yelled at a lot more often, almost getting his green pin taken away.

Then it was friday.

Akaashi walked to the stalls again, hesitantly calling Kou.

“Hey hey hey!!” a small voice boomed through the speaker, clearly not Kou.

“Hello?”

“This is Bokuto,”

He heard a couple shuffles and arguments, Kou stealing his phone back.

“Hello, this is Bokuto Koutarou, How can I help you?”

“This is Akaashi.”

He could hear the excitement in the other man’s voice. “Akaashi!! How has your week been?”

He heard the smaller voice again, and heard Kou have a conversation, slightly muted by what he imagined to be his palm.

“Noya, can I have a minute?”

Another unclear response. 

“Kuroo is not my boyfriend! And neither is this guy, so leave!”

“Thanks.”

The voice came back loud and clear again. “Sorry about that, I’m visiting a friend and he got a hold of my phone. How was your week?”

Akaashi chuckled slightly, it was clear Kou was a couple beers in, and he wondered why he chose to call on a Friday. “It was okay. How is your trip?”

“Great! Italy is beautiful, hopefully you can see it when you’re released!”

Akaashi gripped the phone, softly smiling at the idea. “About that, I had a call with my mom earlier.”

“How did it go?” Bokuto asked quickly, clearly eager to hear the answer.

Akaashi hesitated. “She doesn’t want me to get released early.”

He could hear Bokuto’s frown through the phone. 

“Well, it’s not really her choice, is it?”

“I suppose not, but her opinion matters to me.”

“Does she know? That you didn’t do it?”

“I couldn’t tell her, she hung up on me.”

“Hmm, well maybe she was having a bad day? Hopefully you can call her next week and get everything ironed out, yeah?”

“Hopefully.”

“And about lawyers!” Bokuto interjected, excitement bubbling in his voice. “I found a few good ones for a more affordable price, I haven’t reached out to any because I want you to look at them first. I’ll print out their information and bring it on Monday if that works.”

“That sounds great.”

“Awesome! How much more time do you have on your call?”

“5 minutes.”

“I always forget how long they are, at my last prison they were much shorter, 5 minutes total I think? But they could call whenever.”

Akaashi hummed in response. “Tell me about italy?”

Bokuto grinned. “I’m visiting my friend from high school, Nishinoya, he’s a fisherman here, and I’ve met some of his crew, they’re all really cool! I’m with them right now, and the pasta is just as good as everyone says.”

A couple muted voices came though, Keiji unable to figure out what they were saying. 

“They all say hi!”

Noya’s voice popped through, bubbly and drunk. “Hi Kou’s boyfriend!”

“He’s not my boyfriend!”

“Hmm, let me see.”

He heard a smack and a dramatic gasp, followed by a second of silence and then an eruption of laughs.

The small voice came through. “Hi, Kuroo!”

“This isn’t Kuroo.” He stated awkwardly, his chest getting tense.

“But you’re his boyfriend? What did you do to need a lawyer?”

“No,” Akaashi began, the phone getting shuffled around again. 

Bokuto’s voice came booming through the phone again. “Sorry- he really wants me to start dating again-” 

“It’s fine. That sounds fun.”

“Yeah, maybe I can take you when you’re released,” he offered, not thinking about the words spilling through his mouth.

Bokuto quickly snapped back into reality. “Wait- sorry. This is work, I shouldn’t be saying things like that-”

“It’s fine, it’s not like I’m going to tell anyone.”

He heard a sigh of relief from the other end. “Thank you.”

“I should’ve called a different day anyways, I didn’t realize it was Friday and that you’d probably be out drinking.”

“You can tell?”

“Yeah, you’re not exactly hiding it.”

Kou laughed softly, “I guess I’m not.”

“Well, someone is behind me waiting. Till monday,”

“Till monday!”

Akaashi hung up and went to his room, sitting down quietly. He liked that side of Kou, he seemed like fun, and so did his friends.

He thought about Nishinoya’s theories and couldn’t help but wonder about Kou’s love life, and who that Kuroo man was. He was lucky, if Kou was lying about them just being friends, but he doubted it.

He wondered about Kou stating that Noya wanted him to start dating again, did his last relationship end badly?

Keiji shook his head. It wasn’t his place to know. It’s not like he and Bokuto were friends, anyways. It was a strictly work relationship.


	5. private meeting.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Bokuto calls Akaashi into an office to discuss lawyers.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm sorry for disappearing! With school starting I haven't had much time to write, and I haven't been happy with what I do manage to write. I hope you all understand!

Kou arrived at work, a binder in hand. He had already contacted his boss about calling Akaashi in for a private meeting, and got the okay. His eyes were heavy, and his head was pounding. He shouldn’t have had so much to drink.

Bokuto was given a temporary office for the meeting that he managed to reserve for the entire day, and was ecstatic. He had most of the day free for once, so he would be able to have some time to himself.

He tossed his binder on the table and set his bag down, plopping down on the black office chair. He kicked his legs up on the table as he sipped his water, desperately trying to feel better.

He listened to the inmates come closer, to the canteen, and smiled a bit, thinking of Akaashi. Kou leaned over and grabbed his binder, flipping through all of the boy’s files, and all of the lawyers he found for him. 

Bokuto grabbed a small blue highlighter from his bag, and adjusted in his seat, removing his feet from the desk. He inched up to it and set the binder down, highlighting attributes and writing notes. He had spent the past week looking through websites, desperately trying to find the best fit.

He didn’t have a single doubt in his mind that this was for any other reason than an innocent man being kept in prison. Sure, he may have wanted to be friends with Akaashi, but that wouldn’t make him go through this whole hassle.

After breakfast, a knock hit the door. 

“Mm, come in.” Kou replied, glancing at his small silver watch for the time.

The door swung open to a guard and Akaashi, and Kou quickly shut the binder and cleaned up his breakfast.

Akaashi stepped in, and Kou signaled for the guard to leave and close the door.

Once she did, Akaashi sat down across from Kou, looking at the mess of crumbs on the table. It was disgusting.

Bokuto grabbed the binder and slid it to Akaashi.

“Sorry about the mess,” He began, scooping crumbs off of the counter and into his hands. “I thought the meeting was after lunch.” He chuckled, standing and tossing them into the trash. Akaashi’s eyes followed him closely. Kou turned to him, and nodded to the binder.

“Those are the best lawyers I could find. I wrote out some stuff too.” He stated, dusting off his large hands and walking over. He squatted beside Akaashi and opened the binder, pointing out all of the highlighting and notes he had placed carefully.

“I did my best to make it neat, and I already made sure the guards know that it’s okay if you have this, but I’d be happy to hold onto it if you’d want me to.”

He shifted so he was behind Akaashi, with one hand on his shoulder. He leaned over him and flipped a couple pages to what was a sheet of info on a woman. “She’s my favorite, I’ve worked with her before.” Kou grinned, leaning over again, flipping to the next page. It was filled top to bottom with hand-written notes on her. “I wrote a little extra on her.”

Akaashi tried to ignore the heat rushing to his face as Kou’s arms and hands brushed over him, and let out a tense nod. He stared down at the writing, shocked that Bokuto would do all of this for him.

Kou stood back up, removing his hand from the boy’s shoulder and sitting down in his own seat, looking at Akaashi from across the table. He noticed how red and awkward he looked, and immediately apologized.

“I’m sorry- I didn’t mean to make you uncomfortable-”

“It’s okay.” Akaashi stammered, his hands lightly grazing the page. “I’m just surprised.”

Kou tilted his head.

“I didn’t think you would do all of this.”

Kou felt a sting. Why did he care so much about this kid’s opinion? 

“Of course I would. It’s my job.”

“It’s not your job. Your job is making sure I stay in line. I just didn’t think it mattered that much to you, or anyone, really.” Akaashi said with a small, bittersweet smile.

“Of course I care. You’re an innocent man who was arrested for no reason.”

Keiji sighed, he hated the reminder that at the end of the day, this was just work for Kou. This was just a meeting. The phone call that meant so much to him, was just a business call.

Bokuto watched him carefully, picking up on the negative emotions. “We have a little bit, right? How was last week? Have you spoken to your mother at all again?”

Akaashi glanced up, then back down to his knees. “I tried to. She didn’t pick up.”

Kou frowned. “I’m sorry, Akaashi. You don’t deserve that.”

He shrugged, his hands returning to the binder. “Maybe I do. I’ve been lying to her for so long.”

“For her own protection.” Kou stated bluntly, staring Akaashi right in the eyes.

Akaashi looked away. “I still lied.”

“Stop saying that!” Bokuto said louder. He almost seemed angry, his hair seemed more lively, and his hands were spread out tensely on the table.

Akaashi fell silent, looking into his golden eyes again.

“You aren’t a bad person! You just got caught up in a bad thing, and you’re trying to make sure no one else gets pulled into it. It’s admirable.”

Akaashi couldn’t get words to break through his lips.

“You gave up everything to help people. Everything.”

Akaashi watched the set of eyes start to twinkle, and the bushy brows above them furrow. 

“You aren’t a bad person. You’re one of the best people I’ve met. That’s why I gave you my phone number, and that’s why I’m trying to help you so desperately.”

“Thank you.” Akaashi whispered after a moment, trying to control his breathing.

Kou grunted and fell back into his seat, covering his face with his hands. “I fucking hate this job.” he muttered through his palms.

Akaashi looked at him awkwardly, trying to formulate the best reply. He hadn’t talked to someone like this in so long. “I’m sorry.”

Kou sighed again, removing a hand from his face. He placed it on his own arm, and began rubbing it tensely, his nails digging into his biceps. Akaashi grabbed his hand and pulled it from his arm. “You’re going to hurt yourself.” He stated, quickly realizing what he did. His hand froze on Kou’s wrist.

Bokuto glanced up, then at their hands. “You’re fine. I’m not going to yell at you.”

Akaashi let out a sigh of relief, shutting his eyes gently.

“We’re friends.”

The boy's eyes snapped back open, staring at Bokuto. “Friends,,?”

Kou nodded. “Yeah. Here we are, at least.”

Akaashi smiled a little. He hadn’t had anyone for so long, and here was someone who was so loving, kind and perfect telling him they were friends. Friends.

If he were anyone else, that would sting. But it was Akaashi, a kid who had been in prison for 7 years. Friends meant so much to him.

Kou adjusted, taking his wrist back and removing his free hand from his face. He reached into his bag. “Want a mint?”

“Sure.”

Kou slid one to him, and popped his own in his mouth, a soft smile on his face as his eyes shut. He looked like he was in nirvana.

“You said you hated your job,,” Akaashi began, his hand returning to his lap. “Why?”

Bokuto thought to himself, trying to figure out how to sugar coat it. “It just,, isn’t what I’m cut out for.”

“I think you’re great at it.”

Kou smiled a bit. “Thanks.”

“What did you want to do?”

Kou looked him in the eyes, a smile filled with excitement slowly appearing on his face. “Volleyball.”

Akaashi smiled a little. “Why didn’t it happen?”

Kou sighed, the smile fading, and his hair seeming to droop. “I didn’t make it to nationals when I was in highschool, which pretty much destroys any shot you have.”

Akaashi nodded.

“What did you want to be?”

Keiji thought for a moment. “I’m not really sure. I was arrested so young that I never really thought about it. Teaching would be nice.”

Kou smiled softly. “I could see you doing that.”

“Really?”

“Yeah, you’re smart, caring and rational.”

Akaashi looked away, trying to hide his face. “You don’t mean that.”

“I do.”

The two made eye contact, tension filling the air. Keiji bit at his cheek, unable to pull his stare away. Kou leaned towards him on his elbows, silently wishing the table was small enough to reach him. The door opened, and Kou quickly flew back in his seat, his face bright red.

A guard walked in, grabbing Kou’s bag.

“Hey- what’re you looking for?” Kou quickly reached for his bag as the short guard with silver hair dug through it. 

“Phone.” He muttered.

Bokuto stood and pulled it out of his pocket, handing it to him. “Is it-”

“Yeah.”

Kou nodded. Kaido was his only friend from work, they’d hung out a few times. His daughter was ill and in the hospital, and Kaido was too much of a mess to charge his phone every night, so it wasn’t a big shocker when this happened.

“Do you mind if I,,” Kaido nodded towards the door.

“Go ahead. Take as much time as you need.”

“Thank you, Bokuto-san.” Kaido said with a forced smile before running out of the room.

Akaashi sat for a moment. “What was that?”

Kou rubbed his eyes. “His daughter is in the hospital, and he never charges his phone so I let him use mine.”

Keiji nodded. “I hope she’s alright.”

Kou sighed uncomfortably. “Yeah,,”

Akaashi reached out and took Bokuto’s hand. “It’ll be alright.”

He looked down at their hands, and flipped his own so it was holding the smaller one. He leaned down and pressed his forehead against them, gulping. “I hope so.”

Akaashi hesitantly placed a hand in Bokuto’s gelled hair, running his fingers through it. It was surprisingly soft and malleable, almost as if his hair naturally stuck up. 

“I just wish I could do something about it.”

Akaashi stayed silent.

“It isn’t fair. They’re such good people.” he muttered, the grip on Keiji’s hand tightening. “It’s not fair.” He repeated, his voice cracking this time.

Akaashi froze, trying to figure out what to do. He removed his hand from Kou’s hair and lifted his face, wiping the tears that had started falling.

“I’m really sorry Bo-” He began, but was interrupted with a sob. Bokuto looked oddly peaceful considering what was happening, and was somehow still pretty.

Bokuto placed his head on the counter again, and the two just sat in silence for a few minutes. “Can you just give me a hug?” Kou muttered pathetically.

Keiji was taken aback, and hesitantly stood and walked to him, gently wrapping his arms around him from behind. He could feel Bokuto’s warm arms shake, and he began running his fingers through the two-toned hair.

“I’m sorry,, this is pathetic.”

“It’s not.” Keiji replied after a moment. Kou stood and turned to face him, hiding his face in Keiji’s shoulder. Akaashi wrapped his arms around Kou’s waist, while the taller boy’s arms wrapped from under his armpits and up to his shoulders, holding him close and tight.

“Thank you.” Bokuto sighed after a few minutes, pulling away and wiping his face. 

Akaashi watched him intently, keeping his hands on Bokuto’s hips. He moved one hand to Bokuto’s hair, sighing softly.

Bokuto looked down to him, an odd feeling taking over. He liked it, but knew it needed to stop. Akaashi pulled Bokuto’s head down slightly, their foreheads touching. Kou went to lean in, but stopped himself. 

“I- I can’t.”

Akaashi pulled away, his hand dropping from his hair. “Oh- I’m sorry- I” 

“No- I- I want to- it’s just, work.” Kou frowned, running a hand from Akaashi’s cheek to his shoulder.

Akaashi looked down, putting his hands on his face.

Kou frowned and removed the boy’s hands, pressing a small kiss on his forehead.

Akaashi went bright red. “I’m sorry.”

“Don’t be. Let’s just- get you out of here. Then we can do that stuff.”

He nodded gently, and felt Bokuto pull him to his chest.

**Author's Note:**

> Woo!!! I've been so excited to write this, and it's taken a lot of time for me to start to understand how Japanese prisons work, which is why these may take a while to pump out. I'm researching for the next chapter, which will go into Akaashi's life at prison. If you enjoyed please leave Kudos, I really appreciate it!


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